Ho Ho Holy Crap, It's Christmas!
by BossaNovaBaby24
Summary: Lighthearted fluffy xmas fic! Set after 9.1, the rest of the series doesn't exist in this fic! Section D get involved in a plan to get Harry and Ruth together for the festive holidays! RE-UPLOADED BECAUSE OF EDITING.


**A/N**

**I think a nice xmas lighthearted fic is in order. This idea came about after a lengthy msn conversation with a friend, I tried to make it funny and I hope I have succeeded!**

**Set sometime after 9.1, the rest of the series is null and void for the sake of this fic! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, locations, etc. They all belong to Kudos and BBC. No copyright infringement intended!**

Christmas was meant to be the happiest time of the year. For all their grumblings and half hearted protests, the team seemed to be quite looking forward to the festive holidays. Beth and Dimitri were scolded multiple times by Harry for being caught discussing their Christmas plans instead of filling out various paperwork.

Most of the team had taken it upon themselves to nickname him 'the Grinch'. After all, he refused to allow decorations anywhere on the Grid and above all, when asked what his plans for the festive holiday were, he rebuked them all and asked them if there was something better they could be doing with their time, such as saving British lives.

It was after the fifth and most severe reprimand of the day that Dimitri decided enough was enough.

"What the hell is up with him?" He whispered heatedly to Beth, who sat doodling guns on her latest field report, "anyone would think he's not looking forward to some time off!"

"For a Spook, Dimitri, you suck at observation," she replied smugly, "don't you see? He's lonely!"

"Lonely?" Dimitri looked sceptical at the thought of his boss having _emotions_.

"Yes, he has no-one to celebrate Christmas with. Of course he's going to be a miserable sod. He'll probably just spend the day drinking whiskey and complaining about nothing. It's his one day to do everything he does here, just at home."

"I thought him and Ruth would be-"

Beth cut him off immediately;

"-nope. I asked her just last night what her plans were and she mumbled into her glass of wine that she would probably spend it doing housework and watching some film about red shoes."

"Those two," Dimitri shook his head, "do you think they'll ever get their act together?"

"Not without a forceful prodding..." Beth's eyes lit up, "... from well-meaning colleagues."

"I don't want to know what's going on in your head, Bailey."

"Dimitri, I think I have a plan."

XXXX

It wasn't until the next day when Beth arrived at work with a single shopping bag that Dimitri had any idea what she had in mind.

"Mistletoe?" He stated with raised eyebrows as she pulled the offending item out for him to look at, "you plan on getting the world's most stubborn man and woman together with a cheap Christmas trick?"

"You have any better ideas?" Beth shot back, feeling the pride of thinking it up melt under his cynicism.

"Well..."

"Aside from spiking their drinks?"

"Alright, where are going to hang it?"

XXXX

Ruth walked onto the Grid, her arms laden with folders. Why Harry wanted so many folders, she did not know. She wasn't going to argue, however, they were on thin ice as it was after his unexpected proposal and her rejection of it.

She glanced over briefly at Dimitri and Beth, who were sitting at their desks, engaged in casual conversation.

"Beth," Ruth called out, juggling the files as she stumbled towards her desk, "are you _sure _Harry needed all these backdated files? Some of them are from Field Operations that took place five or six years ago!"

"Sorry Ruth, you know what he's like" Beth gave her a sympathetic smile, "I'm just the messenger."

Ruth grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "bloody man" and both Beth and Dimitri tried hard to keep smiles from their faces. Ruth finally made it to her desk and was astonished to see several stacks of folders already covering the surface.

"What on earth are these doing here?" She asked aloud, offloading the pile in her arms onto her chair.

"Oh yeah, someone from upstairs brought them down. Said something about Harry needing to go through them before they're inputted on the MI5 database," Beth lied glibly.

"Right..." Ruth looked disbelieving, but didn't comment further, "well can you two give me a hand carting them into his office?"

She asked under the pretence of having too many files to keep ferrying back and forth, but the truth was she was uncomfortable being around Harry on her own anymore. It would only take a single look, her name as a plea tumbling from his lips before she surrendered her hard fought resistance. She couldn't.

"Sorry Ruth," Dimitri apologised, sounding almost genuine, "we've got to go meet an asset we're cultivating."

"You _both _need to go?" Ruth asked, confused, "..._together?_"

"Yes," both replied in unison and made a show to stand up and grab their coats.

"Right," she sighed, looking at all the folders surrounding her, "guess I'll do it then."

"That would be for the best," Beth said as she walked past, "he's in a terrible mood you see. You're the only one who can keep him calm, Dimitri and I would probably just end up making things worse."

On that note, Dimitri and Beth walked to the Pods and watched with amusement as Ruth pulled up a stack of files from her desk.

As Ruth walked towards the office, she made a mental note to tell Harry of her suspicions about Beth and Dimitri's relationship. Going off the meet an asset together sounded like a flimsy excuse, but Ruth was happy for them. Harry needed to know so he could contact Human Resources and instruct them on the procedures and paperwork. She was sure he'd be happy for them too, but then again... after everything they'd been through recently; maybe it was best she didn't tell him just yet.

XXXX

Harry was on the phone when she entered his office. Once again, she forewent knocking, but this time her excuse was the files piled chin high in her arms. Harry spared her a brief glance, his eyes resting with a look of resignation on the files, before turning back to the phone conversation at hand.

This went on for four or five more trips, each time Ruth offloading the files onto his desk, chairs, floor (wherever was free) and Harry looking on with growing annoyance but making no comment. Beth and Dimitri were getting frustrated to say the least. Neither seemed to notice the strategically placed Mistletoe above his office door and they continued to dance around eachother as normal.

"Well your plan is working a treat, Beth," Dimitri said sarcastically as he watched Ruth enter the office with another load of files, completely oblivious to the mistletoe, "it's right up there on the list underneath Valkyrie I'm sure."

"Shut up," Beth thumped him in the arm. She watched Harry and Ruth in his office with narrowed eyes. Something needed to get their attention directed at it... something... _a ha! _She pulled at Dimitri's arm, "come with me! Follow my lead!"

XXXX

"Good god, Ruth, another pile!" Harry groaned in frustration as Ruth placed another stack on the diminishing floor space.

"Just doing as instructed," She replied wearily, stretching her back and gearing herself up for the tenth trip out to her desk.

"What are you...?" Harry's voice trailed off as his attention was caught by two people just outside his office door. Ruth turned around, confused, and her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

Dimitri and Beth... standing just outside Harry's door... for want of a better phrase; _making out._

They looked so completely lost in eachother that it took Harry clearing his throat several times, progressively louder, before they jumped apart visibly embarrassed.

"Oh, er, sorry Harry," Beth immediately stuttered her apology, backed up with repentant looks from Dimitri, "it's just... well we were walking this way and ... well he caught me under the Mistletoe. Rules are rules, you know how it is... won't happen again."

Harry opened his mouth and closed it a few times, doing a very good impression of a goldfish. No words were uttered by him as his eyes fixated on the hanging Mistletoe above their head. _How on earth did that get there?_

It was Ruth who finally spoke up, after a few minutes of startled silence;

"Weren't you two meant to be meeting an asset?"

_Shit. _Beth looked at Dimitri, who also looked thoroughly caught out. No help from him then.

"We... er..." Beth tried desperately to think of an excuse, "... changed the time of meeting."

"Yeah," Dimitri cut in, relieved at having an excuse, "turns out our asset couldn't make the time."

"I see," Harry nodded, his eyes still on the mistletoe, wondering who the hell put it up and _why _right outside his door of all places.

"Well," Beth broke the silence that ensued after their excuse, "best get cracking on those field reports."

With that, she grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him away from the now tense atmosphere in the office.

"Eager to get out from under the mistletoe," Dimitri whispered as they hurried away, "don't tell me you didn't enjoy it."

"Okay," Beth replied, smirking, "I won't."

They sat down at their respective desks, both still secretly thinking of their kiss.

XXXX

Harry spent most of the morning caged in his office. He didn't dare leave for getting caught under the mistletoe by some unknown Section D worker. He wasn't lying to himself; if it were Ruth standing at his door, he'd be out of his office like a shot. However, Ruth had made it clear that wasn't going to happen. She continued to ferry the files into his office at a lightning quick place, never hanging around long enough for Harry to get a word in, let alone a kiss.

So he sat at his desk, increasingly frustrated by their awkward situation.

What he didn't realise was that Ruth was thinking exactly the same thing. She was now down to the last three piles on her desk and so was taking more time to shuffle them about, reluctant to enter his office knowing that there was Mistletoe hanging over it, taunting her.

She wondered briefly why Harry hadn't taken it down, but that thought was banished as soon as it entered her head; she _knew _why, really. He was waiting for her to come to her senses, to stop outside his door and grant him permission to indulge in the Christmas tradition. But she couldn't. She was too scared; she knew that if he kissed her once, her entire resolve would crumble. For their own good, she couldn't let that happen.

If those two were getting fed up with the current stalemate situation, it was nothing compared to how Dimitri and Beth were feeling. They had sat at their desks, waiting and watching for the entire morning, their eyes perking up when Ruth made a round trip to Harry's office, only to be disappointed when she almost bolted back onto the Grid. It was getting ridiculous.

"We need to speed this up, it's actually painful to watch," Beth spoke up after watching Ruth take twenty minutes to alphabetise a stack of folders in her obvious reluctance to return to Harry's office.

"We need more help. Someone to draw Harry out of his office at the exact moment Ruth tries to go in."

"If we did it, they'd know what we're up to," Beth said.

"That's why we ask someone else to distract one of them."

Both took a few minutes to think through who they could possibly ask.

"Lucas!" Both said together.

XXXX

"So," Lucas lowered his voice as he listened to Beth and Dimitri's explanation, "you want me to call Harry out of his office so you can send Ruth in. By chance they meet under the mistletoe and the world will be a happier place?"

"Yep, that is pretty much it," Beth nodded.

"And you guys _really _think this is going to work?"

"Why not?" Beth immediately got defensive. What was everyone's problem with her plan!

"It's those two ... you haven't known them as long as Tariq or myself. It's like... one step forwards, several steps back with them."

"Maybe a nice set up is what they're both waiting for then," Beth refused to believe that her plan would fail.

"It's not going to work. It doesn't take a Spook to work that one out."

"Look, are you in or are you not?"

Lucas looked at Beth and Dimitri's eager faces, before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, I'm in."

XXXX

"Harry."

"Yes Lucas?"

Lucas stood uneasily outside of Harry's office, a good foot away from the door and mistletoe (for which Harry was beyond glad). He was shuffling from foot to foot nervously.

"I was wondering if..." Lucas spared a quick glance towards the Grid, "you... could..."

Harry was starting to get very impatient with his Section Chief's distraction.

"_What?_"

Lucas spotted Ruth approaching the office at a fast pace with an armful of files and tried to rush;

"Quickly Harry, we need to go-"

Ruth dropped a file and stopped to pick it up.

"No, wait... no, we ..." he continued to watch Ruth, but every so often flickered a glance to Harry who, at his urgent tone, had stood up quickly and was heading towards the door.

"We _don't _need to hurry now? _What _is going on?" Harry asked, completely confused.

Ruth had rearranged the files and was approaching.

"We need to go into the briefing room, it's ... it's a big attack!"

"... a big attack?" Harry's eyebrows rose.

"Yes, quickly now, it's urgent, we need to-" Lucas watched as Ruth was stopped and taken aside by a junior analyst, "... no wait, a minute, it's not _that _urgent that-"

"Lucas, my normally generous patience is being tested right now," Harry ground out, annoyed, "if you don't tell me what the hell is going on... Who is behind this 'big attack'? and why wasn't I informed?"

Lucas caught the look in Harry's eyes and stared back, unable to formulate a response. It was in that moment that someone brushed past Lucas, straight into the office without second thought.

"More files," Ruth stated, pushing various folders out of the way to put them down on Harry's desk.

"Thank you Ruth."

"Damnit!" Lucas swore, hoping this failed attempt wasn't witnessed by Beth or Dimitri. He wouldn't live it down. He told lies for a living and yet failed at such a simple task.

"What's wrong?" Ruth asked, concerned. She walked towards him, but Lucas took a few steps back, not wanting to be anywhere near the mistletoe with her. He was sure he'd be stabbed, shot, drowned, and set on fire if Harry was to witness even the most chaste kiss on the cheek from Ruth.

"It's nothing, really," Lucas tried to extricate himself, "I just... it's too late. Big bomb. Its safe though. Yeah ... that was all."

On that nonsensical admission, Lucas turned around and hurried away.

Outside on the Grid, Beth witnessed the entire debacle and slammed her head against the desk in frustration.

XXXX

"Beth, what happened to your head?"

"Shut up and listen," Beth snapped, ignoring the dull ache and possible concussion, "this is getting completely out of hand now. This _isn't _meant to be this difficult!"

"Yeah, well if Lucas maybe actually showed us what he gets paid to do-"

"-hey, this was _not _my fault. You guys sent me in there without a legend-"

"-all you had to do was bring Harry out when Ruth went in and-"

"-both of you," Beth yelled, "shut up!"

Dimitri and Lucas went silent and looked at Beth. It was at that moment that Harry stalked out of his office, getting severely annoyed at his team's behaviour and the amount of paperwork that was coming in.

"You three!" He barked, "You're meant to be liaising with 6 for an interrogation!"

"W-we are?" Beth asked, confused. There was no mention of this...

"Let's not _all _suffer here because Miss Bailey forgot to note it in her diary! You were meant to be over at Vauxhall Cross 5 minutes ago!"

Dimitri, Beth and Lucas jumped up as though physically thrown and got themselves ready. As Dimitri and Lucas moved towards the Pods, however, Beth took a step towards Tariq.

"Beth," Dimitri hissed, "what are you doing! Pearce looked angry! I don't want to lose this job!"

"I am _not _missing out on anything!" Beth retorted, "what if they step under while we're away! We'll never know if my plan worked or not!"

Dimitri opened his mouth to reply, but then his eyes sparkled in recognition.

"This isn't about them at all anymore, is it Beth!"

"What! Of course it is!"

"No, it isn't! It's about your plan! You don't want to face the chance of it being a failure!"

"Shut up!" Beth snapped, walking over to Tariq.

Tariq sat, looking at his computer bored. Beth approached and said over his shoulder;

"Wow, she looks good in that bikini doesn't she?"

Tariq jumped a foot in the air at the sudden intrusion into his personal space.

"W-what?" He asked, trying in vain to click away the small boxes on the screen.

"Hmmm, using the work computers for pictures like _that ... _how on earth haven't they caught you out?"

"Because I'm the techie," Tariq replied, with a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Okay then _techie,_" Beth lowered her voice, "I won't tell anyone what I have just seen, if you'll do me a favour."

Tariq looked scared.

XXXX

The drive to Vauxhall Bridge was taken up with Dimitri and Lucas bickering about what went wrong in the plan.

They failed to notice Beth sitting in the back, her eyes glued to her phone. If they _had _noticed her distraction, they may also have chanced a look at her phone screen and seen a live video feed from just outside Harry's office.

"Thank you Tariq," she whispered, smirking.

XXXX

Harry rested back against his chair and sighed. He had got the three field officers out from under his feet for an hour or so. He only hoped they had a sense of humour when they reached Vauxhall Cross and realised that there was no interrogation.

_In fairness it's their own fault, _Harry justified his actions to himself, _if they had been working hard and keeping up to date with what they were meant to be doing, they would have realised no such interrogation was taking place._

He picked up his glass of whiskey and his eyes, on their own accord, looked towards the mistletoe. He wished Ruth would allow him just a moment under there, just to feel for a fraction what had been taken from him. The kiss on the Docks was short-lived, a goodbye. Just one more kiss was all he wished for. Well, actually, if he was wishing for things it would have been nice for her to have accepted his marriage proposal... in fact he wished that all those years ago people hadn't gossiped about them and Ruth had accepted his 2nd date offer. Oh, and he also wished that Oliver Mace had never been born...

Harry was broken from his reverie as Ruth pushed into his office hurriedly with yet another stack of files.

"Last ones," Ruth told him triumphantly, setting them down.

"I should hope so!" Harry replied, dragging the top folder from the most recent pile towards him. He flicked opened the front cover and stared at the sheet, confused.

"Why have I got a report from five years ago?"

"I don't know Harry, you asked for them," Ruth replied wearily, wanting nothing more than to go back to her desk with a coffee and a good book.

"When?"

"Beth said you wanted them as soon as possible."

This was starting to get very confusing.

"I don't remember asking her for any of these," he gestured at the various folders scattering his office, "and even if I did, why didn't she bring them in here herself?"

"I don't know... what's going on Harry? They've been acting so weird today," Ruth wringed her hands together uneasily.

"I don't know Ruth, I wondered the same thing but..." Harry's eyes trailed off to the mistletoe hanging above his door. Suddenly several things seemed to click into place with startling ease and he let out a heavy sigh.

"I know exactly what they've been playing at."

Ruth looked confused.

"Harry, what-?"

He gestured towards the mistletoe and Ruth stared at it for a few moments, wondering if Harry was hinting so obviously at what he wanted... _no, he wouldn't be that obvious about it, would he? _She kept down the swell of hope that threatened to rise. This was ridiculous, he wasn't possibly suggesting-

"The mistletoe. _They _planted it there... for us."

"Ah." Ruth hid her disappointment well, telling herself that it didn't matter because she wouldn't want to kiss him anyway. It would only lead to more awkwardness after all. There was a small part of her though still battling for his love. Ruth sincerely hoped that part wouldn't override her head, or else she would be royally screwed ... in a psychological sense... though Harry _was _a knight...

"That's why they got you to personally give me all those files. They were hoping I would catch you under the mistletoe!"

_I wish you would... shit! Shut up, Ruth! _She scolded the small part of her that was threatening her with all these stupid thoughts. She had spent so long holding them (and Harry) at bay. She would _not _give up now, just because of a stupid Christmas trick.

"And Lucas acting strange outside your door?" Ruth enquired shakily, trying to quell the urge to run ... trying to _stamp on _the urge to reach across and drag him under the mistletoe herself.

"He was trying to get me to the door as you were coming in ... right underneath the stuff!" Harry slammed his hand down on the desk triumphantly. He was quite pleased with himself for figuring it out. He looked up, almost expecting Ruth to swoon over his powers of deduction. She looked fidgety, nervous. Harry bit back his disappointment; she obviously wanted to get out of his office as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry for ... what you've been put through today Ruth," Harry said gently, with an air of awkwardness. He knew she hated the topic of their personal relationship (or lack thereof) being broached, "I will let them know on no uncertain terms that they're not to try anything so juvenile again."

_Oh god, he's being thoughtful and chivalrous, I'm doomed, _Ruth thought desperately and she watched in silence as he stood up out of his chair and walked around his desk towards her. He side stepped the piles of folders and reached his hand out gently to touch her arm. She was shaking from the effort to not break her resolve, but it was becoming difficult from the close contact. At least on the other side of the desk she had an escape route, space to clear her head...

"Ruth?" Harry asked softly, concern evident for her pale complexion, "are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she couldn't quite manage to speak, fearing if she did it would be something so utterly stupid.

"You look... troubled."

"Mmm." _Just hang in there, you're doing great Ruth._

"Perhaps you need to get some water."

"Mmm-might just do that," Ruth mumbled, extricating herself from his gentle grasp.

Harry watched as she tried to distance herself from him and sighed inwardly. This was never going to work... he watched as she made a hasty retreat from his office. It was now or never really.

She reached the door and pulled it open when he spoke clearly;

"Ruth."

She stopped and turned around reluctantly.

She noticed his gaze was fixated somewhere above her head and she looked up. She looked down. _Oh dear GOD why did I look up? More importantly, why am I not moving?_

She had mistletoe right above her, Harry staring at her intensely and she was _not _moving. That little part of her that she had ignored for the best part of a few weeks had now rebelled, grown and seemed to have taken over her entire body, stopping her in her tracks. This was not good.

Harry moved slowly towards her, reluctant to do anything to scare her off. Slow steady footsteps, like a lion approaching a gazelle ... _now is NOT the time to be making those comparisons, _Ruth thought desperately.

He was right in front of her, his body almost touching hers. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek and automatically her breathing quickened. _No, no, no! You were doing so well!_

His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered.

XXXX

"Beth, we're here!" Dimitri tried grabbing her attention, but Beth's eyes were focused on the phone screen. She wasn't breathing, _why _wasn't she breathing!

Dimitri looked at the phone screen to see what was so interesting that it warranted the small gasps and squeals she was making.

He saw Harry and Ruth, standing just outside his office door. Harry was leaning in to Ruth, their bodies touching, his head bent down to her...

"Ear?"

Beth watched in horror as Harry whispered something to Ruth before slowly stepping away. He then glanced up, around at the ceiling while Ruth did the same. He looked straight at Beth, his eyes burning holes in the phone screen if that were even possible.

"Oh. Shit." Beth stated.

XXXX

"Ah, got the bugger!"

Harry pulled the tiny camera away from the wall, grinning in triumph at it. He looked directly in to it.

"Need I remind you three that I have years of counter surveillance under my belt that got me to Section Head? Briefing room, half hour. No excuses."

With that, he turned the small device off and pocketed it.

"How did you know?" Ruth asked quietly, still overcome by the nearness of him a few minutes ago.

"Because no doubt Beth came up with this plan, and me sending her away meant she wouldn't know if she succeeded. If there is one thing I know about Miss Bailey, it's that she likes to see her plans succeed."

"And has it succeeded?" The question tumbled out of Ruth's mouth before she had a chance to think it through.

Harry turned towards her quickly, his mouth open in surprise. This was new territory... was she actually asking...?

"I, er, well," Harry floundered.

Ruth felt the blush rise to her cheeks at her careless comment and immediately started to apologise.

"I'm sorry Harry, I don't know what came over me. I know this isn't appropriate, it's-"

"-Ruth-" Harry tried to interject, but Ruth ploughed on;

"-I mean, I turned you down, I know that. I don't expect you to-"

"-Ruth!"

Ruth stopped and Harry moved closer to her.

"Do you ... want her plan to succeed?" He asked softly, stepping once more so close that their bodies touched. Ruth automatically put a hand to his chest to steady herself. His hands landed on her waist, waiting.

"I ..." Ruth trailed off, feeling herself sink into his embrace, "... I think ... I do."

"You do?" Harry moved closer, his lips brushing her ear once more, "do you want this, Ruth? I need to know."

He was tired of not knowing what she wanted. She was tired of fighting him.

"I was ... scared, Harry," she whispered, feeling all her emotions come spilling out into a quiet confession, "we can't have a normal life, it'll be occasions, when both of us aren't too busy saving the country. What little time we have outside of this will be taken up with thoughts of what the next day will bring. I don't want to go to bed every night, wondering what tomorrow will do to us."

Harry bent his head and stopped her worries with a gentle kiss, lips lightly brushing over hers.

"For once, Ruth," he sighed, his forehead touching hers, "don't analyse everything."

She nodded slightly, her eyes closed from their kiss. She had surrendered years ago really, she realised, and instead of bringing fear and a sense of dread, she felt strangely light hearted.

He smiled gently at the sight before giving in and kissing her again.

XXXX

"How long has it been?"

Dimitri looked at his watch.

"3 hours."

"He said half hour, no excuses... 2 and a half hours ago?" Beth looked confused.

"yep," Dimitri stretched in his chair.

"Do we... do we go?" Lucas asked, wondering what the hell was keeping Harry.

"No, he sounded pretty angry. I would hate to see him tomorrow morning if we left." Dimitri replied, shuddering at the thought.

"True," Lucas sighed and sat back.

Silence reigned in the briefing room for a few minutes, before Beth broke it;

"So, do you think my plan worked?"

**FINISHED**

**A/N**

**Hope you enjoyed it :) There is a magical button at the bottom of this page that allows me to see what you thought of it! Please press it and let me know!**


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